Gear driving mechanism



Nov 4 1 924.

J. G. VINCENT GEAR DRIVING MECHANISM Filed June 16 27666@ @Fuz/00u65,

Y BY M ATTORNEY JESSE Gi'. VINCENT, OF'DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGN OR TOPACKARD MOTOR CAR COM- 1PANY,`OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION 0FMICHIGAN.

GEAR DRIVING MECHANISIVI.

Applipaton led .Tune 16, 1917. ,Serial No. 175,124.

mechanism and particularly to such mecha- Y pism involving bevel gearsand shafts there- One of the objects of the invention is to provide adouble drive from a single source in which the end thrusts will bebalanced so far as the driving shaft isl concerned.y

Another object of the invention is to pro,- vide a novel fand efcientdriving mechanism for aeroplane Propellers particularly where two suchpropellers lare used and driven from a single source of power.

Another object of the invention isto provide a driving mechanism from asingle shaft to two driven shafts in which the end thrusts on thedriving shaft will be balanced.,

@ther objects of the invention will appear from the followingdescription taken in connection with the drawing, which forms a part ofthis specification, and in which Fig. 1 is a plan and part sectionalview ofda mechanism containing this invention, an

Fig.2 is a similar view of another form of the invention.

f Referring to the drawings .represents a supporting structure which maybe a caslng, the part 11 of which may constitute a prank case of -ahydrocarbon or other motor forming a source of power. rllhe, part 12 is'shown in the form Yof a casing for some of the gearsl and shafts of theinvention.

A motor crank shaft is illustrated at 13 and the extended part 14 ofthis shaft forms themain driving shaft'of the gear mechanism of thisinvention. as illustrated is in three tubular portions 15, 16 and 17,which are rigidly secured together as by bolts 18 and 19, and some ofthese portions are formed integral with some of the gears hereinaftermentioned.

, This main driving shaft as a whole is mounted in the casing in alignedhearings 20` and 21, and it will be understood that with the arrangementshown there may be one motor connected at one end of the lshaft or theremay be a. motor connectrlFhis extended part ed at each end of theV shaftor the shaft itself `may' form the middle part of the crank shaft of a.single motor. lt is important however that in any case, where power isto be taken from this shaft there should be as little end thrust aspossible on' the motor shaft and in the present. invention such endthrust is practically eliminatedJ although the power is taken from themain drivin shaft through bevel gears.

The main driving shaft 14 is provided with a pair of oppositely facingbevel gears 22 and 23 of 'similar size and form. These gears aresomewhat separated and the gear 22 is adapted tomeshwith a bevel gear 24and the gear 23 is adapted to mesh with a gear 25, the gears 24 and 25being on oppo-L site sides of the shaft 14 and slightly out of alignmentso that there will be no interference. The gear 24 is mounted incompartment 12 of the casing 10 in bearings 26 and 27, the latterincluding a thrust bearing 28 which takes the outward end thrust of thegear 24. The gear is also mounted in the compartment 12 and in similarbearings 29 and 30, the latter including a thrust bearing 31. The gears24 and 25 are connected through universal joints 32 with shafts 33extending laterally from the casing 10, and the outer ends of theseshafts 33 have bevel gears 34 meshing with gears 35 on shafts 36 ofpropellers 37, the latter consituting driving propellers ofv anaeroplane or similar vehicle. f

From the above description of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1 of thedrawing it will be apparent that the end thrust on the main drivingshaft 14 caused 'by the meshing of gears 22.and24 will be exactlybalanced by the end thrust caused by the meshing of the gears 23 and25'y and there will therefore be no resulting end thrust on the shaft 14to be h taken by the bearing supporting vthat shaft.v rlihe axialendthrust of the gears 24 and 25 will be taken by their respective thrust ybearings 28 and 31, or,l when the universal joints '32 are so formed asto be capable of transmitting end thrust, some of theithrust of thesegears 24 and 25 will be balanced by the reverse end thrust of the bevelgears 34. 0f course suitable bearings, not shown, will be provided yforthe shafts 36 to take whatever end thrust there may be on those shafts.

In Fig. 2 the main shaft 14a is in two portions only, these portionsbeing connected by the. bolts 18a and the webbcd portion 1Gn of thegears hereinafter referred to. Also the gears 22a and 23a are shown asintegra-l and are facing'away from each other instead of towards eachother as in Fig. 1. The gears 24 and 25 are similar to the correspondinggears in Fig. 1 and mesh respectively with the gears 22 and 23a. Theother parts of the mechanism are similar to that shown in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that in the mechanism shown in Fig. 2 there is also abalancing of the end thrust of the gears 22a and 23a s0 that there ispractically no end thrust on the main` shaft 14a.

Other forms of the invention may `be made without departing from thescope of the invention 'Shown and it is intended that such modificationsshall be within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

together as in said support,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. The combination with a support, of a gear shaft,motor crank shafts mounted in said support and directly connected toeither end of said gear shaft, two laterally extending driven shaftsmounted in bearings and a pair of bevel gears connecting /each of saiddriven shafts to said gear shaft. v

2. rlhe combination with a support, of two aligned motor shafts mountedin said support, two laterally extending driven shafts mounted inbearings in said support, means connecting said motor shafts, and a pairof bevel gears connecting each of said driven vshafts to the motorshafts.

In testimony whereof I aix m` v JESSE G.

si nature. NG NT.

